Hard-point handsaws cool, useful

Even in this age of power tools, a good handsaw can sometimes be the fastest and most convenient way to cut things for renovations and small projects. The trouble is, too few people ever discover this liberating fact. The reputation handsaws have for slow cutting and inaccuracy disappears for anyone who uses a modern, hard-point handsaw.

Never heard of this kind before? Here’s why they’re good . . .

Let’s say you’ve got a small piece of wood to cut. A good handsaw is faster than a power saw because you don’t need to find an extension cord or fumble with a cordless tool battery only to find it’s dead. Just grab your handsaw and get to work. Handsaws are also ideal when you need to stop a cut squarely at some predetermined point. Just operate the blade straight up and down relative to the board, right up to the edge of the notch or corner you’re creating. Circular saws can’t do this.

Got some thick-foam insulation to cut? A handsaw is not only able to handle material that’s thicker than most electric saws, but it’s also safer. A handsaw will never grab the foam during a cut like power saws will. The trick to getting good handsaw performance is the design of the teeth. There are many bad saws on the market, and one in particular that’s the best I’ve used so far.

The first thing to look for in any handsaw is something called hard-point teeth. It gets it’s name from their factory-hardened teeth. Made by different manufacturers, each tooth typically has a blue colour because of the heat treatment that made the metal especially hard. The teeth come from the factory sharp and they stay that way. The best I’ve used so far is the Irwin Universal Handsaw. That blade is rustproof and the $40 price tag is reasonable considering how long the saw stays sharp. I haven’t found anything better in six years of looking.

Unlike traditional handsaws, hard-point saws can’t be resharpened. The metal is too hard. This sounds like a drawback, but there are two reasons it isn’t an issue. First, it’s very difficult to find anyone to sharpen handsaws these days, even if you wanted to. And second, most people don’t use a handsaw often enough to warrant the time and trouble to keep a traditional one sharp. A good hard-point saw, by contrast, is ready to go any time you are.

So how effective is a hard-point saw?

Not all models are created equal, but in my tests the Irwin is hungry enough to chew through an inch of one-and-a-half-inch-thick construction lumber with each full stroke of the handle.

A dozen energetic strokes and you’ve cut all the way across a 2x12.

Speed isn’t the only thing a good handsaw provides. They can also be surprisingly accurate, especially if you’ve got one with a shiny blade and you know a little trick. As you begin to make a cut in a board, orient the saw so the reflection of the wood in the metal of the saw is a perfect continuation of the actual edge of the lumber.

Continue cutting with the reflection holding steady like this and you’ll be cutting square to both the edge and the face of your board. See this cool old trick in action at baileylineroad.com/21522.

And finally, be sure to take full strokes with your handsaw, not short, choppy ones. Cuts happen faster with full strokes and you’ll also get less tired. A little practice and you’ll wonder why handsaws ever fell out of favour in the first place.